Process for concentrating and storing olefins



March 18, 1941. R. F. ROBEY PROCESS FOR CONCENTRATING AND STORING DBIPINS Filed D60. 30, 1938 nlTl-l Cu J E 550 PHON Q ACID A-BSOLOTE TANK F -$3025 IN ATMOSPHERES Patented Mar. 18, 194i 2 135 119 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,335,119 PROCESS I03 OOHENTRATING AND STORING OLIFINS RichardI'.IeIIey,Rolelle,N.J.,alsignorto 3 tOom Itarsal-.1}! panyacorpo Application Decor-be 30, 1938, Serial No. 248,472 7 Claims. (Cl. 260-677) This invention relates to the segregatim and The solution used contained 3 mols of benzene storage of oleflns and it relates particularly to sulionic acid with 3 mols of free ammonia per the separation and storage oi the lower oleflns, liter and was saturated with cuprous oxide. such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, 1,3-buta- The following table gives the solubilities, exdiene, etc. pressed as the volume or gas (measured under The lower oleflns are volatile at ordinary room average room conditions) per unitvolume of the temperatures and upon being heated expand and cuprous solution, for ethylene and propylene in impart pressures that are proportional to the a solution containing 1 mol of benzene sulfonic temperatures. In the storage and transportation acid, 3 mols oi free ammonia, and 0.69 mol of 10 or the lower olenns, it has been necessary heretocuprous oxide. The efiects of temperature and 10 fore to provide tanks or containers of special partiaipressure on the solubility are shown. The construction with thick walls and therefore of s turated hydrocarbons and hydrogen are negligreat weight in order that any large glbly (or only very slightly) soluble in these soluvolumes oi the oleflns may be compressed and tions.

stored therein. 15

An object of this invention is to provide ma- Pressure terials in a storage tank to hold the oleflns in latui. 2atm. tstm. 10 atm. solution and increase the capacity of the tank. Tem o. one

Another object oi' thi invention is to provide 2 a suitable absorbent material which will hold the as can 1 6 2.5 5.0 7.0 oleflns in solution or in combinathin sud also 3:5; g; 3}; i separate the oleflns from other gueand parcm. at u 4.3 ticularly from other hydrocarbons having the 3% f; {3 g: same or approximately the same number oi caru 0.1a 8.5 mo 12.5 13.8 25 bonatomstothemolecule. M u 25 According to this invention, it haatbhe: found that oleiins may be se ra 1m 0 The saturation limit for oleilns in these solucarbons havlns milar number of m tions is dependent upon the concentration of to h molecule b, the m of an ammmtaeal cum mpg in this solution since the ethylsolutionoicupmus benzene suli'onate. 'I'hissolum combines mm t cuprous copper under tion is epared by reacting enzene s r add ideal conditions mol for mol. About 2 mols is with suflicient ammonia to neutralise, m In the mmmum copper content in a typical soluexcess of tree ammonia and saturating the soluon tion with cuprous oride- It 18 not new-my that so the oleflns are soluble to a large extent in chemically pure 1701188119 511110111: be thesolutions oi ammoniacal cuprous benzene su1 35 Suitable tem e a e for abwrbins the olefin! in icoote to ronn additive compounds, it was round the ammoniacal cuprous benzene suli'onate soluthat the addition of these solutions to a tank tions are from 10 to 25 C. An animo increases the capacity 01' the tank for oleflns solution il N 11! benzene B l e. on about two-fold in the lower pressure range, that 40 into intimate contact with a mixture oi oleiins 1 1 t :0 atmospheres pressure This 1,; b 40 and saturated hydrocar ons. dissolves the olefin: illustrated by reference to the attached drawing preferentially and presumably iorms an addition of m ompound with the Salt i e The invention is not to be limited to the specific 111s ammoniaeal solution of cuprous enlene mlembodiments shown or the specific examples i'onate will preferentially extract olenno from 1 iven, nor to any theories advanced as to the 45 mixture of oleiins and saturated ocarbmis operation of the invention, but in the appended and is recovered from the solution by heating claims it is intended to claim all inherent novelty or by reduction of pressure, whereby the dissolved in the invention as broadly as the prior art pergases eflervesce from the solution. Any amte,

monis in the evolved cases may be removed by Iclaim: scrubbing the gases with water. The gates may 1. A process for the separation and storage be forced into the solution either under ordinary o1 olenns, which comprises passing through an or elevated pressures. At 2 C. and 76 mm. merammoniacal solution of cuprous benzene suli'onate cury pressure, 1 ml. of the solution absorbs 4.5 ml. maintained at a temperature from -10 to 25 C.

of ethylene and no appreciable volume of ethane. a normally gaseous mixture containing oleflns and saturated hydrocarbons and separating the saturated hydrocarbons and other insoluble gases. I

2. A method of separating oleflns from a mixture containing oleflns and saturated hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a mixture of normally gaseous oleflns and saturated hydrocarbons through an ammoniacal solution 01 cuprou bennene sulfonate at a temperature from 10 to 25 C., separating the undissolved gases and recovering the oleflns from the solution by the application of heat.

3. A method of separating oleflns from a mixture containing oleflns and saturated hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a mixture of normally gaseous oleflns and saturated hydrocarbons through an ammoniacal solution of cuprous benzene sulionate at a temperature from 10 to 25 C., separating the undissolved gases and recovering the oleflns from the solution by lowering the pressure. g

4. A method of separating olefins from saturated hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a mixture containing olefins having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms to the molecule through a solution 01 ammoniacal cuprous benzene sulfonate at a. temperature of 10 to 25 C. and at least atmonlacal cuprous benzene sulfonate solution by the application of heat and reducing the pressure.

5. A method of separating ethylene from saturated hydrocarbons having the same number of carbon atoms to the molecule, which comprises passing ethylene at a temperature from 10 to 25 C. through an ammoniacal solution of cuprous benzene sulionate, separating the saturated hydrocarbons and recovering ethylene by the application of heat.

6. A method of storing oleflns, which comprises passing normally gaseous olefins at a temperature from 10 to 25 C. into a storage vessel containing an ammoniacal solution of cuprous benzene sulfonate.

7. A method of storing oleflns, which comprises introducing into a container ammoniacal solution of cuprous benzene sulfonate, maintaining the container and its contents at a temperature from 10 to 25 C. and passing normally gaseous olefins that are to be stored into said container under a pressure above atmospheric.

. RICHARD F. ROBEY. 

